Tonto National Forest Dispersed Camping Rules

14 days in any 30

Order 03-12-00-26-02 (Occupancy and Use Prohibitions) prohibits "camping for more than fourteen (14) days in a thirty-day period" on all NFS lands, waters, roads and trails within the Tonto National Forest boundary. The same order prohibits camping at trailheads forest-wide. In effect Feb 20, 2026 - Feb 19, 2031.

Where you can camp

Allowed unless posted

"Undeveloped or dispersed camping is allowed in most places within the forest boundary. Dispersed camping is more primitive than in the developed campgrounds with few or no facilities. You will need to Pack it in, Pack it out." Standing orders close specific areas to camping: Payson RD riparian corridors, the Bulldog Canyon OHV staging areas and SR 88 corridor sites, Fossil Creek in the non-permit season, and the Lower Salt River special-occupancy area. source

Keep your distance

200 ft — Payson Ranger District riparian zones (Order 03-12-04-24-2): no camping within 200 feet on each side of the listed streams - Tonto Creek at Bear Flat, Christopher Creek at See Canyon, East Verde River at Flowing Springs and Washington Park, Dry Dude Creek at Verde Glen, and Webber Creek. Vehicles off NFS roads also prohibited in these zones. Applies to the described corridors only, not forest-wide. In effect through Jun 30, 2029. source
"Camping at trailheads" is prohibited forest-wide (Order 03-12-00-26-02). No distance stated - the trailhead itself is the closed area. source

Roads and vehicle access

Ask the district which roads allow camping

No official Tonto page read today ties motorized dispersed-camping access to MVUM corridors; the forest's maps-guides page does not mention Motor Vehicle Use Maps at all. Vehicle use off NFS roads is expressly prohibited in the Payson RD riparian zones (Order 03-12-04-24-2). Ask the district office which routes allow off-road parking for camping.

Fires right now

No fire restrictions last checked August 18, 2026

Whether you can have a fire at your site runs on the forest's fire order, not on camping rules — see the live fire restrictions page for this forest and what each stage still allows before you light anything.

Closures and special orders

Order 03-12-00-26-02 - Occupancy and Use Prohibitions (forest-wide) The forest-wide standing order: 14-day/30 stay limit, no camping at trailheads, no parking in violation of posted instructions. In effect Feb 20, 2026 - Feb 19, 2031.
Order 03-12-04-24-2 - Payson RD Occupancy and Use Prohibitions No camping and no vehicles off NFS roads within 200 feet each side of six listed riparian corridors (Bear Flat, See Canyon, Flowing Springs, Verde Glen/Dude Creek, Washington Park, Webber Creek). In effect Jul 3, 2024 - Jun 30, 2029.
Order 03-12-03-26-00 - Bulldog Canyon and SR 88 Recreational Area camping closure Camping prohibited at six OHV staging areas (Blue Point, Usery, Wolverine, Hackamore, Dutchman, Willow - each with one-mile buffers), along NFSR 78 (First Water Road) for 2.5 miles, and at the SR 88 milepost 203 horse-trailer parking area, Mesa RD. In effect Jan 12, 2026 - Jan 11, 2031.
Fossil Creek non-permit seasonal camping, fire and glass prohibition (October 2 - March 31) Seasonal camping, fire and glass prohibitions in the Fossil Creek permit area during the non-permit season (Oct 2 - Mar 31). Read the order for the described area before camping near Fossil Creek.
Lower Salt Special Occupancy Use Order Special occupancy restrictions on the Lower Salt River corridor (Mesa RD), including camping prohibitions in described areas. Read the order before overnighting along the Lower Salt.

How to read these rules

Dispersed camping means camping outside a developed campground — no fee, no table, no toilet, no water. You pick an already-used spot, pack out everything you brought, and the rules above are the whole deal you're agreeing to. The stay limit counts the way the card says it counts, not the way it counts on the forest next door: some places count per spot, some across the whole forest, some inside a radius, and moving a short distance often doesn't restart the clock.

Distance rules come in two shapes. Keep-away rules ("at least 100 feet from water") protect the thing you're camping near; stay-close rules ("within 300 feet of the road") keep vehicles on ground that can take them. A line marked recommended on the card is the office's guidance, not an order — the rest are enforceable rules, and a posted sign at the site beats everything on this page.

The motor vehicle use map is the legal answer to "can I drive in there to camp" — if a road isn't on it, that road is closed to your vehicle, and many forests only allow roadside camping along the roads the map marks for it. It's a free PDF; download it before you lose signal.

Fires are a separate rule with a separate clock. Nothing on this page says you can light one — the card's fire line says where that answer lives today. This forest's fire restrictions page carries the current stage with the date it took effect. If a fire is allowed when you get there, buy your wood near camp — hauling firewood from home is how tree-killing pests reach new forests, and the BTU chart says what that local bundle is actually worth.